Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 187 - 169: The Ancient Jiangling City

Chapter 187 -169: The Ancient Jiangling City

Jiangling City, also known as Jingzhou City, is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, on the western part of the Jianghan Plain, bordering the Yangtze River to the south, leaning on the Han River to the north, controlling Ba Shu to the west, and connecting Xiang and Yue to the south; it was historically referred to as “the crossroads of seven provinces.” It was here in the era of the Three Kingdoms that Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou with no intention of returning it.

It is named “Jiangling” because “nearby there are no high mountains; all are hills and mounds.”

Jiangling was also affluent and bustling, situated at a critical juncture for water traffic, which made it a hotly contested area during wars, and an important place to establish kingdoms and official residences during peaceful times, certainly no less magnificent than cities like Chang’an and Luoyang.

Chu Yu was not entirely clear about the specific situation of Jiangling City, but she broadly knew it was a bustling metropolis not inferior to Jiankang; from a distance, the city walls were surrounded by a moat, and upon crossing the bridge over the river, entering Jiangling brought a rush of elegance and prosperity.

Although it was a common sort of prosperity, Chu Yu still felt that the commoners in the streets seemed somewhat more leisurely and carefree than those in Jiankang City when she looked out from the window.

Perhaps it was because this place was not at the feet of the son of heaven.

Yu Wen found an empty residence in the eastern part of the city for Chu Yu and her entourage to temporarily stay, while he himself needed to seek out the “Canghai Guest” and, after obtaining his approval, could then bring them to meet him.

Hearing Yu Wen speak thus, Chu Yu could not help but smile slightly, “Quite the grand airs.” After a pause, she lowered her eyes earnestly and said, “Brother Yu Wen, you are likely more familiar with this Canghai Guest than I am. If there are any taboos during our meeting, could you please give me some advice, so that I do not offend him?”

Yu Wen was taken aback for a moment, then wryly smiled and said, “It’s not that I don’t wish to tell you, it’s that even I don’t know what taboos he has. Only, Yu Rong informed me years ago of such a person, advising me to always be careful and respectful, but he did not reveal the person’s identity. If one must say what taboos the Canghai Guest has, it would be that he does not wish to be disturbed by visitors.”

What nonsense, what kind of taboo is that?

Chu Yu wanted to pry more information, but Yu Wen was reluctant to divulge any further and hastily took his leave, leaving Chu Yu and her group in the residence.

This leaving lasted for ten whole days.

Every day, Chu Yu’s routine was to eat, sleep, and wait for news from Yu Wen. Yu Wen had specially arranged some servants to take care of them; although the residence was not large, it felt very comfortable to live in.

Chu Yu had ordered the guards to inquire about the Yu Family in Jiangling and learned that the Yu Family were originally Han people living outside the Southern Dynasty—in the territory of Northern Wei—and had moved here decades ago. They slowly climbed up the ranks through military achievements, but because the Yu Family’s foundation was not deep, they did not stand out much among the aristocratic families in Jiangling, being just a second-tier noble family.

However, Chu Yu knew in her heart that the Yu Family was far from as simple as they appeared on the surface. On the first day she saw Yu Wen again, Yue Jiefei took advantage of a moment when nobody was around to secretly tell Chu Yu that the guard team led by Yu Wen, though appearing ordinary on the surface, were actually all specially trained. Their obedience to orders was even more stringent than regular troops, and Yue Jiefei estimated he could only handle three or four of them by himself.

Facing such a group of people, Yue Jiefei felt danger and urged Chu Yu to immediately return, or at least go back to Jiankang and ask the Emperor to send an army to accompany them. But Chu Yu just smiled and refused.

She did not necessarily have to be as ruthlessly indifferent to her own life as Rong Zhi, but she wanted to have a bit of a spirit of adventure.

Naturally, Chu Yu did not leave without backup; before departing, she had informed Huan Yuan of her destination, and upon arriving at Jiangling City, she sent Huan Yuan a letter using previously arranged secret codes to signal her safety. If anything happened to her, Jiankang would have measures in place.

In those ten days, Chu Yu did not know how many times she had urged Yu Wen, but each time his reply was that the Canghai Guest had not yet agreed to see them.

Chu Yu was unsure whether his words were true or false. Perhaps the Canghai Guest really held himself in high regard, or perhaps it was Yu Wen who was lying. But what purpose would he have in lying—to keep them well-fed and housed here?

With concerns on her mind, Chu Yu stayed inside the residence every day, either reading books to pass the time. Liu Sang, having never been to Jiangling, felt curious about the new environment and went out to play every day. In ten days, he had made a bunch of friends, and in the last few days, children came to the door looking for Liu Sang to play.

Seeing Liu Sang so happy, Chu Yu felt touched and thought that perhaps Liu Sang had too few friends of his own age before, leading him to rely so much on Shan Yin’s Princess. Maybe if she let him go out to play more often in the future, it could divert his attention.

Having waited until the tenth day, Chu Yu finally became impatient. Ten days was the limit she had set for Yu Rong as a gesture of respect from a guest to her host. If she were to procrastinate any further, Yu Wen could afford it, but she could not.

So, early in the morning, Chu Yu went to look for Hua Cuo.

If Yu Rong insisted on obtaining Canghai Guest’s consent before letting them know that person’s whereabouts, then she would have to find out for herself.

In fact, when it came to light body techniques, Yue Jiefei was slightly superior to Hua Cuo, but Chu Yu always wanted to keep someone reliable by her side to protect herself. She could only task Hua Cuo with this mission, to follow Yu Wen or his subordinates dispatched by him and see if they went anywhere or met anyone.

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Perhaps influenced by Chu Yu’s previous remarks, Hua Cuo had been surprisingly well-behaved these days. After arriving at Jiangling, he would confine himself in his room daily, and occasionally, peering through the window, one could see Hua Cuo sitting at the bedside, caressing his longsword with a treasuring look on his face.

However, Hua Cuo wasn’t despondent. As soon as Chu Yu mentioned what she wanted him to do, she saw a sudden bright glint in his eyes.

Not long after sending Hua Cuo out, Chu Yu was, as usual, sitting in the courtyard slowly reading a book. She had barely read a few pages when she heard someone approaching. Then a pair of hands reached out from behind her, covering her eyes, “Guess who I am?”

The person purposely lowered their voice to ask.

Chu Yu smiled with pursed lips and said, “Let me guess, Hua Cuo?”

“Wrong.”

“Yue Jiefei?”

“Wrong.”

“Amman?”

“That’s wrong too.” The voice sounded a bit displeased and forgot to lower its tone to disguise itself.

Chu Yu’s smile deepened as she continued, “It couldn’t be Brother Yu Wen, could it? You’re playing this kind of joke with me?”

“That’s annoying.” Liu Sang unhappily let go of his hands, “Mister… don’t you remember me anymore?”

Chu Yu laughed heartily, turned her head back, and playfully pinched Liu Sang’s little nose, “Silly boy, who taught you this game? Haven’t you thought about it? In this residence, aside from you, who dares play such a game with me, and whose hands are as small as yours? I knew it was you before you even spoke.”

This game was probably something Liu Sang had picked up while playing with peers his age. Seeing that he was much more cheerful than in the previous days, Chu Yu was genuinely happy for him. Boys should be lively like that.

After vigorously ruffling Liu Sang’s hair and satisfying her urge to play with it for a bit, Chu Yu remembered to ask, “Aren’t you going out to play with your friends today? What made you think of me?”

“That’s right.” Reminded by Chu Yu, Liu Sang remembered why he had come back early, and said excitedly, “I found a fun place outside the city yesterday, and I wanted to take you… Mister, to see it.”

Although he had a lot of fun playing with kids his age, when he discovered a fun place, he couldn’t wait to share it with Chu Yu.